|
Tag Archive: drowsiness
|
I read a few articles in theglobeandmail.com site about sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup and fructose. Are you confused what is good for you and what isn’t? Your not alone, especially when we are mislead by the media in so many ways. Depending on who does the study varies what kind of results we hear. The best thing to do is get the facts from people who are genuinely concerned about your health, not their pocket book and work on making changes to eliminate as much sugar you can out of your diet. Here is what we do know.
Sugar is:
glucose
fructose (fruit sugar)
lactose (milk)
sucrose (table sugar)
maltose or malts (rice malt and honey)
jam (contains concentrated juice, which is high in fruit sugar)
maple syrup
corn syrup
palm sugar (used in macrobiotic cooking)
the very deceiving organic brown sugar (not all that different from white sugar)
alchohol (even a sugar)
No wonder we get so much of it, it is in everything!
Nancy Appleton, PhD, clinical nutritionist, has compiled a list of 146 reasons on ‘how sugar is ruining your health’ in her book Lick the Sugar Habit. Here are some of the problems that sugar can cause or can contribute to:
* decrease growth hormone (the key to staying youthful and lean)
* feeds cancer
* increases cholesterol
* weaken eyesight
* drowsiness and decreased activity in children
* interfere with the absorption of protein
* food allergies
* diabetes
* eczema in children
* cardiovascular disease
* impair the structure of DNA
* hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children
* reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases)
* greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)
* osteoporosis
Isn’t that enough to make you think twice about that double, double from Tim Horton’s or Dunkin’s? Mix that coffee with your burger and fries and you get a double whollop of
“Ultimately we have found that fat and caffeinated coffee are impairing the communication between the gut and the pancreas, which could be playing a role in why participants couldn’t clear the sugar from their blood as easily,” said Beaudoin.
Referring to the impact coffee had five hours after consuming the fat drink, Beaudoin added, “This shows that the effects of a high-fat meal can last for hours. What you eat for lunch can impact how your body responds to food later in the day”.
So they have found maple syrup to have similar benefits of superfoods like berries and flax seeds. I personally wouldn’t be drowning your pancakes in it because they say it is healthy for you. Too much of anything isn’t good for you and because it is still a sugar, it can cause all kinds of problems such as diabetes, candida (yeast) overgrowth, heart disease, obesity and on and on. It isn’t the harmless sugar we once thought it to be.
The next study showed that it helped cancer grow. I believe it, through experience, I watched my Mother die of breast cancer. In her last year as the cancer advanced into stage 4, her appetite for sugar continually increased. She used more and more syrup on her pancakes, more brown sugar in her oatmeal and more and more chocolate. The more she ate, the more frail she got. She became a mere shadow of the woman she was. It seemed the more sugar she fed her body, the more it fueled the cancer. It was hard to watch her die, she was a trouper though, she fought for 5 long, hard years. Her father died of lung cancer and neither one like to eat vegetables, ate lots of fish, white flour and dairy products.
Scientists from the University of Rhode Island have discovered Canadian maple syrup may have similar health benefits of superfoods, like berries, tea, red wine and flax seeds. Read the story here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/is-maple-syrup-the-new-super-food/article1967263/
Fructose can trigger cancer cells to grow faster, study finds
Leslie Beck
Now, a study published last week in the journal Cancer Research adds to the growing controversy over the potential health risks of fructose, a form of sugar added to thousands of foods and soft drinks.
According to researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, the sweetener triggers pancreatic cancer cells to grow more quickly.
The major sources of fructose in our diet are sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener found in soft drinks, fruit drinks, candy, cookies, ketchup, salad dressings, cereal bars, frozen dinners and countless other processed foods.
While it’s widely known that cancer cells use glucose to fuel their growth, last week’s findings were the first to link fructose to cancer growth. The cancer cells grew at fructose concentrations easily attainable in our North American diet and they did so at a similar rate to glucose.
The trouble with fructose is that the body delivers it to the liver, where it can lead to a buildup of fats and contribute to diabetes, heart disease and other health issues. But as Ms. Butler writes, the problem isn’t whether we’re getting our fructose from sugar or corn syrup; it’s that we’re simply consuming too much of it.
The final word? “In high-enough quantities, they’re both poison,” pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig of the University of California San Francisco tells Ms. Butler.
***What isn’t in this study is that most corn syrup is that it is made from genetically modified organisms which can cause a host of problems.
It did, however, reveal higher blood triglyceride levels among those who consumed the most sugar. Triglycerides are made in the liver from the foods you eat. A blood triglyceride level higher than 1.7 mmol/L is considered elevated and usually means you eat more calories than you burn or you drink too much alcohol.
So there you pretty much have it. So all the above sugar all contributes to ill health. Where do we go from here? Two sugars that you can use without risking diabetes, heart disease, yeast infection and all the above. The herb Stevia and Xylitol have been proven to be safe and work great together. Find them both in the Natural News Store:
Read more on Stevia and Xylitol here and the ill effects of sugar:
http://www.naturalnews.com/022692.html
Latest is coconut sugar also found in the link above.
Lets have a look at the two drugs they are currently prescribing for Fibromyalgia, Cymbalta and Lyrica. I found this from the Patients like me website.
Cymbalta side effects as an overall problem of 754 people, 511 experienced side effect, 119 being severe. Of the 481 side effects reported, the most common were libido decreased, sweating increased, nausea, dizziness, brain cloud and insomnia, most being moderate to severe.
Lyrica side effects as an overall problem of 604 people, 484 experienced side effects, 151 of them being severe. Of the 610 side effects reported, the most common were weight gain, brain fog, daytime sleepiness, dizziness, lack of concentration and blurry vision.
Interesting enough, after 18 years of the drugs they have given me, since giving them up, the brain fog or cloud has disappeared, the weight gain has stopped and I have returned to my normal weight, I don’t experience the dizziness anymore or the nausea (except from certain foods), my concentration is better and I sleep better now.
It has taken a very strict program of chiropractic care/stretching/exercise/diet changes/herbals/vitamins/giving up certain things/adding certain things plus many more hints and tips, an overall combination of events that is finally helping me. I am by all means not cured but I am far better off than a year ago and I can see things a lot more clearly now. Understanding your body and what is going on with it is half the battle instead of drowning it with chemical drugs in hope for a cure. Not one of the many, many drugs I was on cured anything, only complicated things for me and I could see the drugs were going to be detrimental to me in the long term.
My questions are:
Why are we okay with drugs that give a majority of users side effects that are mild to severe, yet don’t really help?
How can all these drugs be good for our organs in the long term?
How can they drug this illness when they don’t even know what it is?
How do they know they aren’t making it worse?
Some of us can’t take the drugs anymore, what about us? Are there any other Fibromyalgia sufferers in the same boat? Please share you comments.
Cymbalta
Side effect as an overall problem
Severe 119
Moderate 179
Mild 213
None 243
Most commonly reported side effects
Sex drive (libido) decreased 97
Sweating increased 90
Nausea 89
Dizziness
Lyrica
Side effects as an overall problem
Severe 151
Moderate 175
Mild 158
None 120
Most commonly reported side effects
Weight gain 164
Brain fog 102
Daytime sleepiness 95
Dizziness 92
Lack of Concentration 81
Blurry vision 76
Someone asked for more information on Codeine so here it is. What I find interesting is how we use this drug so freely, yet it is dangerously addictive, causes numerous side effects, including erectile dysfunction and diminished libido which can be a longer-term effect (years to decades). Then they make a pill called Viagra to take care of that problem!
I listed what sources you could be getting codeine from, then the side effect and withdrawals. See for yourself, there may be a source you weren’t aware of.
Do we ever suspect that the drugs we are taking could be causing the side effects? Not usually, especially over the counter drugs we seem to take for granite. They can’t be harmful, you can buy them off the shelf, right? We throw them in the cart like they are part of our groceries don’t we? Once we feel the side effects, we go to the doctor and are given a prescription for them instead of being taken off the causative factor such as codeine. Think about it. It only leads to more pain and suffering in the long run, believe me, especially if you end up with liver failure or something serious. Take care of yourself.
Leave a comment, I want to hear your thoughts.
Codeine
Codeine is marketed as both a single-ingredient drug and in combination preparations with the analgesic acetamnophen (paracetamol, as co-codamol paracod, panadeine, or the Tylenol With Codeine series (e.g., Tylenol 3 and 4 tablets and elixir); with the analgesic acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), as co-codaprin; or with the NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) ibuprofen, as Nurofen Plus. These combinations provide greater pain relief than either agent alone (drug synergy). Codeine is also commonly marketed in products containing codeine with other pain killers or muscle relaxers such as Fioricet with Codeine, Soma Compound/Codeine, as well as codeine mixed with phenacetin (Emprazil With Codeine No. 1, 2, 3, and 4), naproxen, indomethacin, diclofenac and others as well as more complex mixtures including such mixtures as aspirin + paracetamol + codeine ± caffeine ± antihistamines and other agents such as mentioned above.
Codeine-only products can be obtained with a prescription as a time release tablet (e.g., Codeine Contin 100 mg and Perduretas 50 mg). Codeine is also marketed in cough syrups with zero to a half-dozen other active ingredients, and a linctus (e.g., Paveral) for all of the uses for which codeine is indicated.
Injectable codeine is available for subcutaneous or intramuscular injection; intravenous injection can cause a serious reaction that can progress to anaphylaxis. Codeine suppositories are also marketed in some countries.
Adverse effects
Common effects other than analgesia associated with the use of codeine include euphoria, itching, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dry mouth, miosis, orthostatic hypotension, urinary retention, depression and constipation. Another side effect commonly noticed is the lack of sexual drive and increased complications in erectile dysfunction. Some people may also have an allergic reaction to codeine, such as the swelling of skin and rashes. Erectile dysfunction and diminished libido can be a longer-term effect (years to decades) of many narcotic analgesics due to development of central hypogonadism; this appears to be an especially common effect of methadone. The observation that acute effects of codeine, dihydrocodeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine &c include an increase in libido in women and a plurality of men has been made ab initio for the aforementioned and for 2500 years or longer with opium — presumably anxiolysis, euphoria, effects of co-administered substances like caffeine, and environmental factors are involved. The rumour that opium increases female libido combined with racism to forge the apparent consensus needed for the first drug regulations from an opium smoking ban in San Francisco in 1875 to the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914.
Codeine and morphine as well as opium were used for control of diabetes until relatively recently, and still in rare cases in some countries, and the hypoglycaemic effect of codeine, although usually weaker than that of morphine, diamorphine, or hydromorphone, can lead to cravings for sugar.
Tolerance to many of the effects of codeine develops with prolonged use, including therapeutic effects. The rate at which this occurs develops at different rates for different effects, with tolerance to the constipation-inducing effects developing particularly slowly for instance.
A potentially serious adverse drug reaction, as with other opioids, is respiratory depression. This depression is dose-related and is the mechanism for the potentially fatal consequences of overdose. As codeine is metabolized to morphine, morphine can be passed through breast milk in potentially lethal amounts, fatally depressing the respiration of a breastfed baby.
Withdrawal effects
As with other opiate-based pain killers, chronic use of codeine can cause physical dependence. When physical dependence has developed, withdrawal symptoms may occur if a person suddenly stops the medication. Withdrawal symptoms include: drug craving, runny nose, yawning, sweating, insomnia, weakness, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle spasms, chills, irritability, and pain. To minimize withdrawal symptoms, long-term users should gradually reduce their codeine medication under the supervision of a healthcare professional. A support group called Codeine Free exists to help people who have found themselves dependent on codeine.
That information was from Wikipedia, below is from Drugs.com
Codeine
Generic Name: codeine (KOE deen)
Important information about codeine
Codeine may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Never share codeine with another person, especially someone with a history of drug abuse or addiction. Keep the medication in a place where others cannot get to it.
Do not drink alcohol. Dangerous side effects or death can occur when alcohol is combined with a narcotic pain medicine. Check your food and medicine labels to be sure these products do not contain alcohol.
Never take codeine in larger amounts, or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Tell your doctor if the medicine seems to stop working as well in relieving your pain.
Codeine may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert. Do not stop using codeine suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Ask your doctor how to avoid withdrawal symptoms when you stop using codeine.
Before taking codeine
Do not use codeine if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a narcotic medicine (examples include, methadone, morphine, OxyContin, Darvocet, Percocet, Vicodin, Lortab, and many others). You should also not take codeine if you are having an asthma attack or if you have a bowel obstruction called paralytic ileus.
Codeine may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Never share codeine with another person, especially someone with a history of drug abuse or addiction. Keep the medication in a place where others cannot get to it.
FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether codeine will harm an unborn baby. Codeine may cause addiction or withdrawal symptoms in a newborn if the mother takes this medicine during pregnancy. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medicine. Codeine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. The use of codeine by some nursing mothers may lead to life-threatening side effects in the baby. Do not use codeine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Information from: http://www.drugs.com/codeine.html
Medical journal raises concerns about
codeine use
By Sharon Kirkey, Postmedia News
Codeine can be lethally toxic even in normal doses, and now Canada’s leading medical journal says it’s time to seriously consider phasing out the popular painkiller.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal says codeine — a drug that has been in use since the 1800s —has never been subjected to the safety testing now mandatory for modern day drugs, and that a person’s genetic makeup can leave them vulnerable to life-threatening or fatal reactions.
“However, recent advances in our understanding of pharmacogenetics raise serious concerns about the safety of codeine, including emerging evidence that the narcotic can cause death even at conventional doses.”
The liver converts codeine to morphine. But some people are ultrarapid metabolizers, meaning their bodies break codeine down far faster than most, leading to a toxic accumulation of morphine that can be deadly.
Researchers from Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children were the first to report the case of a healthy, 12-day-old breastfed baby who died from a morphine overdose five years ago. The baby’s mother had been prescribed codeine for postpartum pain. Lab tests revealed she carried the genetic variations that made her an ultrarapid metabolizer of codeine, which led to high levels of morphine in her baby’s blood, even though she was taking less than the recommended dose.
Last year, the Sick Kids team warned using codeine after tonsil surgery could be fatal for toddlers after reviewing a coroner’s case involving an otherwise healthy two-year-old who was sent home with a prescribed dose of codeine and acetaminophen syrup after a tonsillectomy. He died two days later. Genetic tests revealed he was a hyper converter of morphine. He died of a morphine overdose.
The researchers know of two more cases involving Ontario toddlers — one of whom died. The second child fell into a coma but recovered.
“We now have more cases in Canada,” said Dr. Gideon Koren, director of the Motherisk program at Sick Kids and a professor at the University of Toronto. “By now I can say that this was not an isolated case, as we suspected.”
Koren has also started a study involving children who are sent home with codeine after a tonsillectomy with an apnea monitor.
“The study’s ongoing but I can tell you quite a few of them show episodes of apnea — they stop breathing. So this is serious,” Koren says.
“Perhaps a more direct approach is now needed: to stop using the product codeine altogether and instead use its active metabolite, morphine,” the CMAJ says. “Not only is the metabolism of morphine more predictable than that of codeine, but also it’s cheaper.”
Sick Kids has already removed codeine from its formulary. Other children’s hospitals are in the process of doing the same.
“We’re phasing it out and we’re taking it off the formulary very shortly, in a month or two,” said Dr. Christine Lamontagne, director of acute and chronic pain services at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.
Currently, there are 124 approved and marketed products containing codeine in Canada, including over the counter cough and cold medicines, analgesics and back pain medications.
Drug products containing more than 8 mg of codeine are available with a prescription.
Tylenol 3 — Tylenol with codeine — is among the top 20 prescribed drugs in Canada.
In a statement, Janssen-Ortho Inc., makers of Tylenol, said the company “remains confident that its products are safe and effective for consumers. We don’t believe it is appropriate for us to comment on the CMAJ editorial.”
Last year, nearly 2.5 million prescriptions worth $37.3 million were filled by retail drugstores, according to prescription drug tracking firm IMS Health Canada.
“The key is to recognize symptoms of too much morphine,” she said, such as difficulty breathing or shallow breathing, feeling sedated or drowsy, feeling confused and constipation. Signs in babies include difficulty breathing or feeding, or the baby is very sleepy or limp.
Until more research is done into codeine’s safety, physicians should be warned of the potential for harm, the CMAJ says.
“We really think there needs to be some serious look at ensuring that physicians are warned about toxicity — and the general public is warned about toxicity,” MacDonald said.
Read the full article at:
http://www.canada.com/health/Medical+journal+raises+concerns+about+codeine/3621069/story.html
Consider phasing out codeine: CMAJ
Last Updated: Tuesday, October 5, 201
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/10/05/health-codeine-cmaj-phase-out.html#ixzz17vygiccz
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/10/05/health-codeine-cmaj-phase-out.html#ixzz17vyNDPq9
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/10/05/health-codeine-cmaj-phase-out.html
Codeine more lethal than OxyContin:
N.L. data
Last Updated: Monday, October 30, 2006 | 10:35 AM NT
CBC News
Codeine, a common ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines, has been more lethal than OxyContin in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to provincial government data.
The office of Newfoundland and Labrador’s chief medical examiner listed codeine as the cause or a contributing factor in the deaths of 16 people between 2000 and 2005.
diclofenac/misoprostol – oral, Arthrotec
SIDE EFFECTS:
- diarrhea and upset stomach
- nausea
- heartburn
- gas
- stomach pain
- constipation
- headache
- tiredness
- drowsiness
- dizziness
**Rarely, diarrhea can become so severe and persistent that it may lead to dehydration
- severe/persistent diarrhea
- stomach cramps
- severe dizziness
- decreased amount of urine
- muscle weakness
****Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur:
- difficult/painful swallowing
- swelling of the hands/feet
- sudden/unexplained weight gain
- vision changes
- hearing changes (e.g., ringing in the ears)
- mental/mood changes (e.g., depression)
- fast/pounding heartbeat
- persistent/severe headache
- fainting
- unusual/heavy vaginal bleeding
- menstrual problems/irregular periods
****Tell your doctor immediately if any of these rare but very serious side effects occur:
- change in the amount of urine
- easy bruising/bleeding
- signs of infection (e.g., fever, persistent sore throat)
- unexplained stiff neck
- seizures
******This drug may rarely cause serious (possibly fatal) liver disease. If you notice any of the following rare but very serious side effects, stop taking diclofenac/misoprostol and tell your doctor immediately:
- yellowing eyes/skin
- dark urine
- unusual/extreme tiredness
- severe stomach/abdominal pain
- persistent nausea/vomiting
******A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is unlikely, but seek immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include:
- rash
- itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat)
- severe dizziness
- trouble breathing
**This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
In Canada – Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345.
In the US -Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
PRECAUTIONS: if you are allergic to either of these drugs;
- aspirin or other NSAIDs – ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib
- aspirin-sensitive asthma
- recent heart bypass surgery
- certain liver problem
- kidney disease
- liver disease
- stomach/intestine/esophagus problems – bleeding, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease
- heart disease
- high blood pressure, stroke, swelling, edema, fluid retention
- dehydration
- blood disorders – anemia)
- bleeding or clotting problems
- asthma
- growths in the nose (nasal polyps)
**Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist that you are using this medication. This drug may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do any activity that requires alertness until you are sure you can perform such activities safely.
*Diclofenac may cause:
- stomach bleeding. Daily use of alcohol and tobacco may increase your risk for stomach bleeding
- may make you more sensitive to the sun. Avoid prolonged sun exposure, tanning booths, and sunlamps
- elderly may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially stomach/intestinal bleeding and kidney effects.
- must not be used during pregnancy. It can harm the unborn baby and mother
*******DRUG INTERACTIONS: This drug should not be used with the following medications because very serious interactions may occur:
- high doses of aspirin and related drugs – salicylates
- cidofovir, other NSAIDs – ketorolac
If you are currently using any of these medications listed above, tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting diclofenac/misoprostol.
- anti-platelet drugs – cilostazol, clopidogrel
- oral bisphosphonates – alendronate
- “blood thinners” – enoxaparin, heparin, warfarin
- corticosteroids – prednisone, cyclosporine, desmopressin, digoxin
- high blood pressure drugs – ACE inhibitors such as captopril, angiotensin receptor blockers such as loartan, and beta-blockers such as metoprolol, lithium, methotrexate, pemetrexed, probenecid
- SSRI antidepressants (e.g., fluoxetine, sertraline), “water pills” – diuretics such as furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, triamterene
- pain/fever drugs – NSAIDs such as aspirin, celecoxib, ibuprofen. These drugs are similar to this medication, so taking one of these drugs while also taking this medication may increase your risk of side effects
*******This document does not contain all possible interactions.
“©2013, WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved”
My 2 cents:
I was prescribed these for probably 15 years. I experienced many of the symptoms above yet the doctor never considered them being a side effect from the drugs they were prescribing. They then went on to give me more drugs for the symptoms I was having and send me to specialists for this and that, added more diagnoses and more prescriptions to the mix. Hmmm??? Beside the added expense to our health care. Believe me too, when you involve more doctors you open yourself up to a power struggle of who is right with what diagnoses and then also the ego of the doctor whom is always right. To be honest, it is hard to find doctors who agree with one another.
Did you read that this is not a complete list of possible side effect? The list just goes on and on. This is because the reports just keep coming in from people so you should keep updated and report your side effects! If you experienced heavy vaginal bleeding they would probably send you to a gynecologist and not even consider your muscle relaxant. Muscle weakness or fatigue you might have a touch of the flu. Abdominal pain, nausea or vomitting probably the same thing or send you for an ultra sound to check your gallbladder. My point here is that one drug can cause so many problems, offer so little cure and it’s side effects or adverse reactions can be masked as disease itself.
Sources:
http://www.medicinenet.com/diclofenac_wmisoprostol-oral_tablet/article.htm
http://naturalpainreliefforfibromyalgia.com/1026
http://naturalpainreliefforfibromyalgia.com/897
http://naturalpainreliefforfibromyalgia.com/554